Credit: Shutterstock/Alexandra Tokarz Lead researchers: Biruk Terrefe, Michael Woldemariam
Partner: University of Bayreuth
Duration: January 2026 – December 2026
Countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somaliland
By focusing primarily on Semera, while drawing comparative insights from Port Sudan and Berbera, the research seeks to generate fresh empirical and conceptual understandings of governance and regional transformation. It pays particular attention to port centric investment, the influence of Gulf states and Türkiye, and evolving security dynamics around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which together are contributing to the rise of alternative power hubs that challenge traditional political capitals.
The project builds on and connects with wider research and analysis on shifting political and security dynamics in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region. In an XCEPT report published in 2025, lead researcher Biruk Terrefe explored how Ethiopia’s renewed pursuit of maritime access is reshaping regional politics in Ethiopia’s Red Sea politics: Corridors, ports and security.
Related themes were also explored at XCEPT’s 2025 conference, where Biruk Terrefe discussed emerging geopolitical dynamics in the Horn of Africa and offered insights relevant to the current research.
More recently, Michael Woldemariam joined the IGC Horn podcast to discuss tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the wider regional dynamics shaping their relationship.
For more information regarding this research, contact [email protected]